


How Old Did You Say He Was?

by Bayliwick



Series: In honor of [5]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adorable Peter, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Peter Just Wants To Join The Team, Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Natasha Romanov, Pure Peter Parker, Spider buddies, tony is an idiot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 07:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20272015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bayliwick/pseuds/Bayliwick
Summary: "I can't believe you brought a kid along!"Natasha finds out Peter's real age and is not happy.Set in CA:CW right before the airport scene.





	How Old Did You Say He Was?

**Author's Note:**

> Some friendly neighborhood spiderman anyone? Let's pretend that Tony introduced Peter to his team in CACW before the airport and this happened.
> 
> This is the fifth part of the "in honor of" series. You don't have to read it unless you want to see Natasha interacting with other Avengers, with each individual story featuring a different relationship. This one is Peter and Protective!Nat comes out to play.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

"I can't believe you brought a kid along!"

"He's good at what he does. He'll be fine!"

"He's too young, Tony. He shouldn't be here."

Peter listened to the two Avengers argue, pretending he couldn't hear their muffled fight in the other room. He half-wished he couldn't either, it was humiliating that they were in a heated debate about him.

Mr. Stark had been nice about everything, giving him a new suit, flying him out to Berlin, and having confidence in him. He was finally getting recognized for his heroics (not that he asked to be, but it was still nice all the same) and he was going to meet the _Avengers_. Well, not all of them, but still a bunch of them!

He'd been really excited and trying to figure out how to secretly record the meeting with his phone when he met them, but Ms. Black Widow (yes, _the Black Widow!_) took one look at Peter and dragged Mr. Stark aside. Thus, began the awkward conversation Mr. Rhodes and Mr. the Vision tried to have with Peter to cover up the argument going on.

"How long have you been engaging in heroic actions, Mr. Parker?" The human-android asked him politely.

"Uh, a couple of years now," Peter replied, his leg fidgeting nervously. He could still hear the argument, and his brow furrowed. Would Black Widow not let him fight? He could handle himself just fine despite only being fifteen.

"How exactly did you get your powers?" Mr. (or was it Lieutenant Colonel? Or just Colonel?) Rhodes questioned him next. The man's eyes narrowed as he inspected Peter as if disbelieving that this boy really was Spider-_man_.

Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, Peter winced at the memory of the spider bite. "I got bitten by a radioactive spider. Woke up with them the next day." He deliberately left out the part of how he had been technically trespassing (he'd just gotten lost on the field trip and took a wrong turn that's all) in Oscorp's secret laboratory.

Mr. Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes (as Peter decided to call him in his mind) nodded, although he didn't look a hundred percent convinced. He was saved from more questions as the door opened and out stalked a _very_ scary Black Widow, followed by an indignant Mr. Stark. Her green eyes focused in on Peter's wide ones, he froze as she pointed at him.

"You, come with me." Her tone left no room for argument as she paced out of the room. Peter hesitantly got up, sending a pleading look at Mr. Stark. He gave Peter a small smile that instilled no confidence in the teenage whatsoever. "Don't worry kid, she's more likely to hurt me at this point than you."

Peter gulped as he walked down the hallway where Black Widow had disappeared. His spider-senses weren't tingling, telling him he was in no danger, but that did little to soothe his growing nerves. The hallway spilled into a large gym with a sparring ring and multiple targets were set up.

Black Widow stood on the edge of the sparring ring, her sleeves rolled up and hair pulled back into a ponytail. She didn't spare him a glance as he got closer. "Hop on in. We're going to spar."

She tossed him some boxing gloves as she attached her own. He just stared at her slack-jawed until her sharp eyes met his, "Building a web would be a better way to catch flies."

Peter shut his mouth but stayed where he was. "Why are we sparring?"

She turned to face him now, coming up to the edge of the ring. She was taller than him with the extra leverage, but he still would have been intimidated at her normal height. "Stark said you were good at what you do. So now you're going to prove it."

"Am I proving myself just to you or to the other Avengers as well?" He asked boldly, still holding her gaze. He remembered the doubt in War Machine's eyes and Vision's extreme scrutiny when Mr. Stark introduced him.

A hint of a smirk came across her face, "A little bit of both."

Peter nodded, determination flooding him at her words. He never expected to be handed anything in his life, his Uncle Ben and Aunt May taught him that. As much as sparring with Black Widow frightened him, he would focus on showing her that he belonged here.

He climbed into the ring where she was already coiled for battle, her fists up and expression deadly. Pulling on the gloves and getting into a proper fighting stance, he allowed her to move first. In a flash of red, she struck a few quick jabs. He blocked them easily but pushed down the pride that began to form. He knew she was just testing his reflexes.

Giving him no time to recover, she leaped at him, quicker this time. He barely dodged, flipping over her head as she lunged. He wished he had his web-shooters but settled for grabbing her foot as she kicked at him. Surprise blossomed on her face as he threw her across the arena.

Pouncing back on her feet, she aimed several punches at his head which he all successfully dodged. He felt the pride coming back as he'd managed to avoid all of Black Widow's attacks without even breaking a swe— "ow!"

He wheezed as his back landed on the floor, her forearm pressed against his throat. A few red tendrils fell from her ponytail, coming down to frame her face. She wiped them away as she stood up to offer him a hand.

"You got cocky. Let down your guard so I could sweep your feet from right under you." She explained, her expression analytical.

He grabbed her outstretched hand, "How long did I last?" He coughed, his voice still tight from getting his windpipe knocked.

"What?" She deadpanned, her head cocking quizzically.

"How long did it take you to knock me down?" He clarified, walking over to the water cooler nearby to take a sip.

"About a minute I'd say. Wasn't really counting, why?"

He grinned at her, "So I can try to last longer next time."

She mirrored his smile with a smirk. "You think there will be a next time?"

"I'm hoping." He finished it off with a slight tilt of his head and imploring eyes. (Even Aunt May finds it hard to resist his charm.)

She scoffed, knowing exactly what he's doing. "I'll think about it. But only because your close-range combat needs serious work if we're going to be on the same team." She turned to exit the ring, her ponytail swaying as she walked out.

Peter waited until she left before fist-punching the air in victory at her last sentence.

**Author's Note:**

> I needed something lighthearted so I let Peter dictate this chapter. As usual, he took it with youthful exuberance and made this the longest one yet. Aunt May and Uncle Ben raised him to be a proper gentleman so that's why he tries to call everyone by their proper title when addressing them, even if it's mentally, which is his mini-crisis over what Rhodey's title is supposed to be. He's just adorable and I really wish there were some scenes of him interacting with the other avengers besides Tony, but that can be something for the future.


End file.
